'Kid's Night Out' Friday, Hosted By NWC Men's Soccer

Finding time as a couple to reconnect amidst the hectic schedules of work, school and extracurricular activities can be a chore, as most parents can attest.

But fear not: If you’re looking for a fun activity for the kids to free up a night to yourselves, the Northwest College men’s soccer team may have an answer. Friday night is Kid’s Night Out, a night of fun and activities geared to kids from kindergarten to eighth grade, beginning at 7 p.m. at the NWC Cabre Gym. Head coach Stan Rodrigues, his wife Angela and the members of the soccer team are hosting the event as a fundraiser for the team, and the night will feature everything from sports to concessions, with a few surprises still in the works. The cost is $10 per child.

“To give credit where credit is due, my previous athletic director at my old school [Eastern Oregon University] started this in a town very similar to Powell,” coach Rodrigues explained. “The first year she held it, only about 10 kids showed up, but it kept growing into a really great event. I figured, why couldn’t we replicate that here?”

A father of two young kids himself, Rodrigues said he understands how difficult it can be to schedule a night out, especially when a babysitter with a free night might be difficult to find.

“We were trying to think of fundraising ideas for the team, so I brought this idea to them,” Rodrigues said. “I felt it was a good way for the team to interact with the community and with the kids that look up to them.”

Kids who participate in the event will have the run of Cabre Gym and all that entails, with activities like basketball, indoor soccer and racquetball on the schedule. Other options like board games will be available, as well.

“We’re not going to use the rock climbing wall for safety reasons, but there are more activities in the works,” Rodrigues said. “We’ll have plenty of activities to keep them going.”

Participants are recommended to wear non-marking shoes and comfortable clothing, and will be required to be signed in and out at the door. Parents must also sign a liability waiver upon drop off. Participants can leave early, but cannot return, and kids will only be allowed to leave with the adult who signs them in.

Rodrigues said a safe environment will be provided.

“Many of the players, as well as Angela and myself, are all CPR trained,” Rodrigues said. “The doors at Cabre Gym will be locked, with one way in, one way out. The team will rotate around the area to make sure it’s all secure. We’ll have like a DEFCON-1 level of security, where we watch and monitor everything.”

If the event is a success, Rodrigues said he’d like to see it turn into something that could be held three to four times a year, depending on interest.

“The biggest thing is, we want the kids to enjoy it and have a good time,” Rodrigues said. “But we’d also like it to be a good experience for the parents as well, so they can go out and do whatever they gotta do for the couple of hours that we have them.” Parents can register their kids for the event up until 8:30 p.m. at the door, for those who come a little later.

Since arriving in Powell last summer, Rodrigues has made a concerted effort to involve his family in the community; that involvement has extended to his team. Outreach like helping kindergartners with reading at Parkside Elementary School are ways the first-year coach said the Trappers can give back.

“We want our team to be respected in the community, as well as let the community know we respect them,” Rodrigues said. “We want to show that NWC is benefitting from being in Powell, from being a part of this community. It’s very important to show Powell we appreciate their support.”